Author Interview with Erin E. Moulton

Today we would like to welcome one of our Mixed Up Authors, Erin E. Moulton, to the blog to celebrate her debut bookFLUTTER: The Story of Four Sisters and One Incredible Journey. We will also be giving away a copy of FLUTTER and a gift box of maple goodies in honor of our protagonist, Maple T. Rittle.

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The Synopsis: Big things are about the happen at Maple’s house. Mama’s going to have a baby, which means now there will be four Rittle sisters instead of just three. But when baby Lily is born too early and can’t come home from the hospital, Maple knows it’s up to her to save her sister. So she and Dawn, armed with a map and some leftover dinner, head off down a river and up a mountain to find the Wise Woman who can grant miracles. Now it’s not only Lily’s survival that they have to worry about, but also their own. The dangers that Maple and Dawn encounter on their journey makes them realize a thing or two about miracles-and about each other.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

Flutter came to me in fits and starts. It wasn’t just that I had an idea of writing a story about kids who go looking for a miracle for their little sister who is born prematurely. The truth is, that was one of the last things I thought of in the process of creating this story. I was at VC when I was working on this and the story began during my second semester working with Ellen Howard. Ellen had asked me to focus on something I knew about that was close to me, something that would show what I knew about life. I was, I think, 22 or 23 at the time, had just completed college and was striking out into the real world. I knew I missed home and I knew I missed my sisters, my family and the mountain. So I focused on the thoughts and feelings around that and then the adventurous plot fell into place.

At what age did you decide you wanted to write?

I wrote a lot all through my childhood and my adolescence. In 2nd grade I wrote a book with my friend Kim. It was called The Two Orphans. In 4th grade, I remember my friend Sam and I wrote a long story about all of our classmates getting killed off in the desert. I had a bad habit of putting my friends in stories and then adding the drama. My teachers were patient and understanding, but looking back on them, I am somewhat horrified. In 5th and 6th grade I wrote many stories, and read a lot. Mr. Alligator was my teacher for those years. He was one of the best teachers I ever had because he was a huge advocate of imagination and literature. Later on, in high school, I focused more on the teen angst and poetry. I have lots and lots of embarrassing diary entries from this period of my life and also some great vignettes and short pieces done in Ms. Stahl’s class. The thing is, I knew I loved writing, but I didn’t think I could make much of a living out of it, so I followed my second passion. Being a lighting designer for the theater. Yes, you heard me right. I abandoned being a writer for a career in the theater. What? Note to self, don’t swap out one art for another. Might as well just barrel on through the best you can with the original plan. Regardless, I suppose it worked out for the best. I went to Emerson to pursue my degree in theater and during my junior or senior year I decided I needed to take a writing class to get a few extra credits. Being in those classes and doing workshops with the writing, literature and publishing crew woke me right up. Shortly after, I applied to VCFA and started writing in earnest.

What kinds of books did you like to read when you were a kid?

All kinds. I loved adventure. I loved day to day stuff. I loved poetry. I even went through a period in sixth grade where I read a bunch of Chaucer, and later sought out the works in their old English versions. And I also loved Shakespeare. There was something about the way it sounded. I didn’t have to understand everything that was going on, the beauty of the words, the way they had rhythm like music, was enough to keep me occupied for hours. But I also loved books that kids today will recognize, such as, A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner, The Giver by Lois Lowry and Lyddie by Katherine Paterson.

How many hours a day/week do you write?

I usually average about an hour and a half/day during weekdays and about 8 to 9 hours/day on the weekends. When I am on deadline it is a lot more! Also, I work full time, so the weekend hours would be considerably less if I had weekdays to focus on it!

Can you share some of the things your main character loves that aren’t mentioned in the book?

Maple loves lots of things. She is a very loving character, as are all the Rittles. Let’s see, she loves warm sunlight, and tea with two teaspoons of sugar. She likes catching frogs and salamanders and bugs of all sorts. She also likes to eat raspberries straight off the bush after a light rainfall. She loves dipping her feet in streams and reading her sister’s diary. She loves stealing all the chocolates out of the advent calendar and watching a few tv shows snuggled on the couch with her sisters. She also loves a good thunderstorm.

What are you currently working on?

My next novel, currently titled The Lanternlight Dreamers, is in the revision process for publication in 2012 from Philomel/Penguin. I can’t give away too much, but I will tell you it is about a girl named Indie Lee Chickory, a boy named Owen Stone, a summer of adventure, mistakes, top secret tree forts and theater.

Thanks so much for coming over to the mixed up files today!

Erin E. Moulton graduated with an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of Flutter: The Story of Four Sisters and One Incredible Journey, published on May 12th! Erin is co-founder of the Kinship Writers Association and when she is not writing she works at Springboard After School with lots of silly kids and a bearded dragon named Puff. Erin lives in Southern New Hampshire with her husband and puppy where she writes, reads, drinks tea and dreams. You can visit her online at www.erinemoulton.com or on Facebook as Erin E. Moulton (Author)

Scholastic Focus is the new imprint from Scholastic publishing that will focus on narrative nonfiction for middle grade and young adult readers. The line plans to publish between six and nine new hardcover titles annual, by both debut and established authors, as well as reissue back listed paperbacks.

Wordplay is a new two-day book festival coming to Minnesota next year. The festival plans to bring more than 100 authors, including children’s writers, to the Twin Cities in May. Organizers envision a fresh approach to their celebration of words: offbeat events like yoga with the authors, and lots of parties. No participating authors have been announced yet.

Author Jacqueline Woodson has been named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She will be officially inaugurated at the Library of Congress on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. Her job as ambassador is to raise national awareness of “the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.” (from the Library of Congress web site.)

December 14, 2017

This August, author James Baldwin’s Little Man, Little Man, will be back on bookshelves. The book is the only children’s story ever written by the acclaimed novelist, essayist, playwright, and civil rights activist. Originally released in 1976, it went out of print quickly. Little Man, Little Man will be reissued by Duke University Press, complete with original illustrations. It also features a forward by Baldwin’s nephew, who was the inspiration for the story’s main character, T.J.

World Read Aloud Day is coming! Mark your calendars for February 1, 2018. The goal? Read out loud together, share our stories, and raise our voices in support of reading and writing as a basic human right. Use #WorldReadAloudDay to share and gather ideas for reading to your community.

October 18, 2017

#USVIPubFund is live and chock full of critiques, consultations, and ARC giveaways. What is it? An auction offered by publishing professionals, editors, agents, and authors, to provide hurricane disaster relief to the hard-hit US Virgin Islands. Auction proceeds go to the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. The auction closes Thursday at 9pm Eastern on Thursday, October 19.

October 4, 2017

#PubforPR is the hurricane relief fundraiser spearheaded by authors, agents, and publishers to help Puerto Rico recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria. All funds raised by the online auction will go to the organizations Unidos por Puerto Rico and ConPRmetidos, both of which are on the island. More than 100 authors, agents, illustrators, and editors have offered services. Act now — the auction closes on October 5.

September 20, 2017

New York Comic Con in the library! On October 5, this major convention will partner with the New York Public Library to offer programming on comics and graphic novels for librarians and teachers. A sampling of the session includes this talk on creating stories with positive female characters: Girl Power Comics: Middle Grade Fiction for Girls and Boys,

August 30, 2017

Hurricane Harvey Book Club: A teacher from Katy, Texas started a Facebook group book club to help support and bring joy to children who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey. So far the group has nearly 56,000 members. They’re also on Twitter: @HHarveyBookClub. The club is busy — they’ve also spearheaded a fundraising campaign to sell t-shirts. Proceeds go toward replacing books in Texas teachers’ classroom libraries destroyed by the floods. So far, they’ve raised nearly $15,000.

Literary community pitches in for Hurricane Harvey Relief: Kate Messner’s KidLitCares is pitching in with an auction to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, which is still dumping rain on flood-ravaged Texas and Louisiana. More than 200 authors, agents, and editors have donated services; all proceeds go to fund Red Cross relief efforts. The auction runs until September 7, 2017. NOTE: When you click on the link, be patient. The site has been overwhelmed and crashes; if you can’t get in, try again later. It’s worth it. Among the many donors: Chelsea Clinton.

August 25, 2017

Congratulations to MUF blogger Jonathan Rosen on his debut this month, NIGHT OF THE LIVING CUDDLE BUNNIES. Check out our interview with him here, and sign up with the Rafflecopter to get your own free copy of Jonathan’s book.

In case you missed it, in July the New Yorker published this retrospective on the 50th anniversary of FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF BASIL E. FRANKWEILER.

August 16, 2017

The American Library Association has released a statement condemning racism and the recent violence in Charlottesville. “The ALA supports voices of hope as such actions mirror the library community’s efforts to abolish bigotry and cultural invisibility,” said ALA President Jim Neal.

Teachers searching for help to start the conversation about Charlottesville with their students have a new resource: #CharlottesvilleCurriculum. Melinda Anderson, a contributing writer for The Atlantic who covers education and race, created the Twitter hashtag to share websites, videos, and other documents to use in class. One of the resources listed on the hashtag includes this book list from the National Network of State Teachers of the Year.

August 9, 2017

We have a winner for the Rafflecopter giveaway of the debut novel KARMA KHULLAR’S MUSTACHE!

Thanks, Jennifer B., and happy reading!

August 3, 2017

The popular MY WEIRD SCHOOL series by Dan Gutman also has fun games to go along. Enter this Rafflecopter for a chance to win a free copy! Giveaway ends on August 8.

MG Author Jason Reynolds, author of AS BRAVE AS YOU, will be the official spokesperson for Indies First. This is the national campaign that supports independent bookstores, and will bring together authors, readers, and publishers at events across the country. Indies First will be held on November 25.

June 28, 2017

Children’s Book Sales: Great news for readers and writers alike – books sales in children’s fiction are on the rise. Not by a lot, only 2% this month over this time last year, but we’ll take it as a sign people are reading. The larger increase is in nonfiction, by 9%. Leading the pack: Chelsea Clinton’s SHE PERSISTED, with over 13,000 copies sold.

Congratulations! Lots of great news from MUF authors. This month, Laurie J. Edwards w/a Rachel J. Good’s Book 3 in the Sisters & Friends Amish series, GIFT FROM ABOVE (YA/Adult) went on sale, as did Julie K. Rubini’s VIRGINIA HAMILTON: AMERICA’S STORYTELLER (Ohio University Press/Biographies for Young Readers). Next month, we get Beth McMullen’s MRS. SMITH’S SPY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (S&S/Aladdin).

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From the Mixed-Up Files is the group blog of middle-grade authors celebrating books for middle-grade readers. For anyone with a passion for children’s literature—teachers, librarians, parents, kids, writers, industry professionals— we offer regularly updated book lists organized by unique categories, author interviews, market news, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a children's book from writing to publishing to promoting.